View this post on Instagram
Anyone who’s surfed long enough has encountered localism – sometimes just verbal, other times physical violence. And according to Costa Rican pro Carlos Muñoz, even top surfers aren’t immune.
Speaking on the Raíces podcast, Muñoz described a localism incident at Rocky Point on Oahu’s North Shore that escalated into violence.
He said he was paddling for a wave when another surfer dropped in, leading to a collision. The surfer shouted, “F#&king tourist,” to which Muñoz replied, “I’m a tourist, whatever, but that was my wave.”
When the blonde surfer claimed to be a local, Muñoz told him he didn’t look like one – a comment he explained may have come off wrong due to English being his second language.
The surfer demanded that Muñoz leave the water, but he stayed out for another hour and a half. Eventually, another local paddled over and asked, “Are you the one messing with my friend?” Muñoz said he told him he didn’t want any problems.
That surfer also told him to get out, and when he finally came in, a group of eight or nine people were waiting on the beach. The original surfer confronted him again as his friends pressured him to throw a punch.
Muñoz said he dodged the first swing and asked why he was being hit when he wasn’t the one who dropped in. Eventually, he let the man punch him in the jaw — saying he was fine afterward — but the group then insisted they were going to take his board.
The board in his hands happened to be his favorite, so Muñoz offered them another board instead. The group followed him home, where he handed over one of his old boards, which seemed to settle things.
Muñoz said incidents like this aren’t limited to Hawaii. He’s experienced similar aggression elsewhere, giving a session in Mexico as another example. He chalked it up to an unfortunate part of surfing culture and said sometimes it’s best to stay quiet, even when you’re not in the wrong.
